Landscapes Peninsula Open Space Trust POST POST Reaches New Heights! Peninsula Open Space Trust Saving the Dear Friends, We did it! Together, POST donors rose to the challenge Campaign of an awesome and ambitious $200 million Saving the Endangered Coast fund-raising campaign to save the San Mateo Coast—and triumphed! This is an extraordinary achievement—a bold, visionary statement on behalf of our California coastal landscape. At POST, we measure Our community rallied around something of value, and we success in many ways. Taking our worked together to save it. On behalf of POST’s Board and lead from our mission statement, staff, thanks to all of you who went above and beyond your we strive to “give permanent annual commitments to POST to put us over the top in this protection to the beauty, character historic initiative. Thanks also to the new friends who joined and diversity of the San Francisco us to complete this campaign. You recognized that there is Peninsula for people here now no other place in the world like the San Mateo Coast and that it deserves to be protected forever. and for future generations.” Your support has now set the stage for POST to complete To that end, we are thrilled to the other significant goal of this campaign — saving 20,000 announce that POST’s Saving the acres of coastal open space. To date, we have saved 14,532 Endangered Coast campaign has acres. Only when this phase of the campaign is complete can reached its $200 million goal! It is we look back and say we did what we set out to do. by all accounts the most successful As we work to complete the 20,000-acre goal, this issue fund-raising campaign on behalf of Landscapes will celebrate POST’s success in providing of local land conservation and permanent protection to the beauty, character and diversity will result in thousands of acres of the San Francisco Peninsula landscape for people here of pristine beaches, hiking trails, now and for future generations. majestic redwoods, fertile farm- land, and breathtaking vistas preserved for generations to come. Sincerely, This record-breaking achieve- ment is the result of four and a Susan Ford Dorsey half years of commitment and Chair, POST Board of Directors generosity from POST’s donors, some of whom have been with us since our founding in 1977 and some of whom have just joined us. More than 10,000 donors have made gifts and pledges during The mission of the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) this campaign to save 20,000 acres is to give permanent protection to the beauty, character and of threatened coastal lands along diversity of the San Francisco Peninsula landscape for people here the San Mateo Coast. now and for future generations. POST encourages the use of these lands for natural resource protection, wildlife habitat, low-intensity “All of us at POST are pro- public recreation and agriculture. foundly grateful to everyone who 2 ■ LANDSCAPES Endangered Coast Surpasses Goal Buelteman © 2002 Robert Buelteman © 2000 Robert came forward so generously to Saving the Endangered Coast. © Brian O’Neill © 2001 Brian O’Neill help us attain this ambitious The Kresge Foundation’s goal,” said POST President $1.75 million challenge grant Audrey Rust. “There are no words motivated POST donors to bring to express how elated I am at this the campaign to a strong finish. remarkable achievement. Thank “This campaign to save the you to everyone who contributed!” coast is so important. Those who Over the course of the follow us will look back and © Brian O’Neill campaign, many individuals, say how smart it was to save this © 2000 Robert Buelteman © 2000 Robert including members of POST’s landscape and make sure it Board of Directors, Coastal remains protected forever,” said Campaign Advisory Council and Campaign Chair Karie Thomson. Skyline Society Committee, stepped “POST’s success just goes to show up with major gifts to the campaign. that amazing things are possible Many of these donors made when individuals band together repeat gifts to put us over the top. behind a common cause. This Foundations also played a is a phenomenal legacy we are Buelteman © 2004 Robert Buelteman © 2002 Robert pivotal role in this success. At the leaving for the future. As POST outset of the campaign, both the continues to work to complete its Gordon and Betty Moore 20,000-acre land-saving goal, Foundation and the David and everyone who contributed to the Lucile Packard Foundation made campaign can be proud of this grants of $50 million each to accomplishment.” ■ © 2003 Robert Buelteman © 2003 Robert Buelteman © 2003 Robert “Those who follow us will look back and say how smart it was to save this landscape and make sure it remains © 2004 David Hibbard protected forever.” © 2004 Mark Hatasaka Karie Thomson Campaign Chair A Long-Awaited Victory: POST’s Rancho Corral de Tierra Included in GGNRA Boundary After five years of collaborative of Rancho Corral, one of the Beach. Jutting out of the northern effort by POST and its public largest undeveloped parcels of the end of the Santa Cruz Mountains, partners, the Golden Gate National San Mateo County coast, along it features maritime chaparral Recreation Area (GGNRA) with approximately 800 acres of habitat that is rare on the San boundary has been expanded and state property near Devil’s Slide. Francisco Peninsula. Its most POST is one big step closer to These lands will join Alcatraz, prominent feature, the nearly ensuring that the majority of the Marin Headlands, Muir 2,000-foot high Montara Mountain, Rancho Corral de Tierra will Woods and the Presidio within commands the coastal landscape be transferred to permanent the GGNRA, the world’s largest along much of Highway 1. protection. urban park. “The GGNRA and Rancho President George W. Bush Corral de Tierra are a treasure signed bill S. 136 into law on A Local Landmark of trove of recreational opportuni- December 20, 2005, to include the National Significance ties, unique habitat, diverse POST property within the GGNRA. Rugged and massive Rancho wildlife and tremendous views,” The long-awaited legislation Corral is located only seven miles said POST President Audrey Rust. extends the southern boundary of south of San Francisco, near the “We are grateful for the efforts of the park to incorporate 4,076 acres towns of Montara and Moss Senator Dianne Feinstein (D- California), Congressman Tom Lantos (D-San Mateo), Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto), and the entire Bay © 2001 Brian O’Neill Area congressional delegation for leading the effort to expand the boundaries of the GGNRA.” Historic Wilderness Rancho Corral de Tierra boasts panoramic views and the headwaters for four major water- sheds. It also supports dense forests of redwood and Douglas fir and distinctive coastal scrub and coastal chaparral habitats. Numerous federally listed rare and endangered plant and San Francisco Watershed that this amazing coastal land is worthy of national park status. This will be an important addition © 2006 Peninsula Open Space Trust to our San Mateo coastal lands and will help round out our boundary, which now includes Rancho Corral de Tierra San Francisco Watershed lands, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and Pedro Point Headlands—all of which are in the vicinity of Rancho Corral de Tierra.” said Pillar Point Brian O’Neill, Superintendent of Bluff Wicklow the GGNRA. “Audrey and her staff worked very hard in the mid- 1990s to preserve the Phleger Fitzgerald Marine Preserve Estate, which is now part of the GGNRA, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with POST Owned Agricultural Lands excluded them as we discuss future manage- from GGNRA boundary Other Protected Land ment of Rancho Corral de Tierra.” POST will collaborate with animal species flourish on POST’s private donors, the its partners to ask Congress to Rancho Corral’s steep slopes. The California Coastal Conservancy appropriate $15 million in Land federally endangered Hickman’s and the Wildlife Conservation and Water Conservation Funds cinquefoil, a delicate yellow Board made the $29.75 million to purchase the property for flower and member of the rose acquisition possible. permanent protection. Once that family, grows in only two places Rancho Corral is the second process is completed, Rancho on earth: Rancho Corral and at POST-protected property to be Corral will serve as an important Pebble Beach on the Monterey included within the boundary of recreational asset for the GGNRA, Peninsula. the GGNRA. In 1995, the Phleger providing an easily accessible Historically known as Rancho Estate in Woodside became part southern entrance to the recre- Corral de Tierra Palomares, the of the park after POST raised ation area and connecting the property encompasses the majority $10.5 million from donors and an congressionally designated Bay of an 1839 Mexican land grant to equal amount in federal matching Area Ridge Trail with the Francisco Guerrero y Palomares, funds to permanently protect the California Coastal Trail. ■ who built the first adobe on the 1,252-acre estate. San Mateo Coast at Rancho Corral’s Denniston Creek. New Gateway to POST acquired 4,262-acre GGNRA Rancho Corral in three phases “The action by Congress and © 2001 Brian O’Neill beginning in 2001 from investors the President to include Rancho who intended to develop housing Corral de Tierra within the and a golf course on the land. boundary sends the clear message Hickman’s Cinquefoil SPRING 2006 ■ 5 Saving Our Last © 2006 Robert Buelteman © 2006 Robert POST Just off Highway 1, Purisima Creek Road curves up a rugged valley through old farmsteads and scrub-covered knolls. As you drive into this quiet slice of the Coastside, past rolling green hills where deer, sheep and cattle graze, a gently sloping meadow leading up to a sheer rocky peak comes into view.